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11 






Poor Richard, 1733. 



A N 



Almanack 



Foi the Year of Chnft 



I 



733 



7241 

}($82 

5494 



Being the Firfl afrer I EAP YEAR: 

Arfd ntahi fft >hf Creation Yfars 

By the Account of ihc E nfnGmlii 
By (he Latin Chu>ch. when O cnr T 
By the Compuiaiion o\ IV IV 
By the ficmrw Chronology 
By the ^mip Ksbbiet 

iVherein it rontatrifd 
The Lunations, EcHpffs, Judgment of 

the Weather, Spring Titles Planets Motions Sc 
jnurual Arpc£t<, Sun and Moon's RIGng and Sel- 
ling, Length of Days, Time of High W.itf r. 
Fairs, Onirti, and oWcrvable Day 
Fitted to the LariruHeol Fortv Degrees, 
and a Merirtian of Fiv Hoor» Wf rt G-otT I tnJm, 
bur may without fenfiSle Error fcrve ah ihe ad- 
jacent Places, even from Ktivfeundhxl ro Scuth- 
Cirolhia 



Fy IUCH'AB.D S/lWNDERS.VhWom. 



PHIL ADFLPHI A: 
Printed and fold by fi FRjSNKl./S, at the New 
I Printing Offic.- neai 'he Market 

The Third Imprcflloc. '' 

FACSIMILE OP THECOVEli OF "POOU UICH- 
ARD'S AliilANACK." 



Bicentenary of 
BenjamiQ pranKlio's BirtF) 
January SeveQteen 
Nineteeo Hundred and Six 



Under the Auspices 

pranKlin Business Association 

praoKlin, Massachusetts 



TIIK 

SENTIXKL rilKSS 

FRANKLIN. 



Gift 
Publish' 

3lJa'07 



The Many-Sided pran^lin 



Mechanic 
Designer 

Engraver 
PriQter 
Editor 

Journalist 
Author 

Publisher 
Essayist 
Moralist 

Philosopher 
Poet 
Farmer Trader 

Soldier 

Musician 
Athlete 

Reforroer 
plQancier 
Statesrrjon 
Diplomat 
ScieQtist 
Inventor 

Society Man 
Wit aod 

Philanthropist 



IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS. 



Dale 


Age 


1706 




1714 


8 


1716 


10 


171S 


12 


1720 


14 


1723 


17 


1724 


18 


1725 


19 


1726 


20 


1727 


21 


1729 


23 


1730 


24 


1732 


26 


1733 


27 


1736 


30 


1737 


31 


1742 


36 


1744 


38 


1749 


43 


1752 


46 


1753 


47 



Events 

Is born in Boston, Jan. 17 (Jan. 6, old style,) the lotli 
cliild oi Josiali and Abiali(Folger) Franklin. 

Senl to --'chool. 

Taken out of school to assist his father in his tallow- 
chandler's shop. 

Becomes an apprentice in the printing office of his 
brother. 

Anonynionsly contributetl literarj- articles to the 
Ne\v England Courant. 

Runs a\Yay to Philadelphia. 

Goes to London. 

Works at his trade in London. 

Returns to Philadelphia to work in dry goods store. 

Is ill. Couipo-^es his epitaph. Organizes a literary 
club called the Junto. 

Pnblishes the Penns3-lvania Gazette. 

Marries Deborah Reed (Rogers,) Sept. i. 

Founds the Philadelphia librar_y, the first circulating 
lil)rary in the coiuitr}-. Begins jniblication of 
Poor Richanl's Almanac, continued for 25 years. 

Begins the stud}- of P'rench, Italian and Spanish. 

Enters puljlic life as clerk of the Pennsyhania as- 
sembly. 

Is appointed postmaster of Philadelphia. Organizes 
the first fire department in America. 

Invents the first stove successfidl}- xised in this 
country. 

Organized ;u scientific society which became the 
American-Philosophical society and subsequent- 
ly the American Academy of Sciences. 

Founds the Pennsylvania academy, which becomes 
the University of Pennsylvania. 

Proves that electricity is an element, by receiving 
the discharge of lightning on a kite string. 

Is appointed to office of deputy postmaster general 
of the colonies, and begins the foundation of 



6 The Bcnjnuiin Fnmkliii Cclchnition 

our present jkisUiI system. Harvard college 
confers on liini the degree of B. A. 

1754 4S Connnissioner from rennsylvania at the Congress in 

Albany and submitted a plan for a union of all 
the colonies luider one government. 

1755 49 I'rocures wagons and supplies from the people for 

Braddock's expedition against the French at 
I^'ort Duquesnet Pittsburg). Leads in defence of 
rennsylvania against the Intlians. 
1757 51 Is sent to London a.s the agent of Pennsylvania. 
1762 r>b Received the degree of LL. D. from the University of 
Oxford, St. Andrews and E<lin))urgh. Returns 
to Phila(leli)hia and plans a life of study and 
useful leisure. 

Travels i,boo miles exlemling and regulating the 
postal .system. 

Is again sent to Loudon as colonial agent for Penn- 
sylvania. 

(Ti\-es important testimony on Stamp Act before 
House of Commons. 

Is appointed agent for Massachusetts in England. 

Received the Copley (toUI Medal. Returns from 1 1 
years' stay in England to participate in the de- 
cisive steps toward American independence. 
1776 70 Is elected to the Committee of P'ive to frame a Dec- 
laration of Iu<Iej)eudence. Is appointed com- 
missioner to secure the support of France. 

1778 72 Secures a treat}- of alliance with France ; is formally 

received at the P'rench court as minister of the 

I'nited States. 
17S1 75 Is a]>pointetl member of a commission to negotiate a 

treaty of peace. 
1782 jh Signed jireliminary articles of ])eace at Paris Nov. 30. 
17^3 77 Signed (lelinite articles of ])eace at Paris vSept. 3. 
17*^5 79 Returns to his home in Philadelphia. Is elected 

])resident of the Common wealth of Pennsylvania. 

I'resents lil)rary to Town of Franklin. 

1756 80 Is re-elected. 

1787 81 Again re-elected. Hel])s frame the constitution o* 

the United States. 
1790 84 Dies at his home in Phihideliihia. Buried in Christ 

Churcli >'ra\ e\arcl in that citv. 



17^3 


.57 


1764 


.5« 


1766 


60 


1770 


b4 


1775 


69 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 7 

POOR RICHflRD'S MflXiMS. 

Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears, while the 

used key is ahva5-s bright. 
The sleeping fox catches no poultry. 
Drive thv business ; let not thy business drive thee. 
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and 

wise. 
There are no gains without pains. 

He that hath a calling hath an office of profit and honor. 
Diligence is the mother of good luck. 
One today is worth two tomorrows. 
Handle your tools without mittens. Remember, the cat in 

gloves catches no mice. 
Constant dropping wears away stones. 
Little strokes fell great oaks. 
Trouble springs from idleness. 
Three removes are as bad as a iire. 
Keep thy shop and thy shop will keep thee. 
Many a little makes a mickle ; a small leak will sink a great 

ship. 
Buv wdiat thou hast no need of and ere long thou slialt sell thy 

necessaries. 
Silks and satins, scarlet and velvet, put out the kitchen fire. 
Always taking out of the meal tub and never putting in soon 

comes to the bottom. 
It is hard for an empty sack to stand upright. 
Lazy folks take the most pains. 
God gives all things to industry. 
Plow deep while sluggards sleep and you will have corn to sell 

and to keep. 
If you would have your business done, go; if not, send. 



8 The Ik-nJ.'itnin l^ninkliii Cclchnitloii 

FRANKLIN'S RULES OF CONDUCT. 

At the age of 22 l-'ruiiklin drew up tor his own guidance a 
set of precepts, in which he gave a prominent phice to humil- 
ity and chastity. The others were : 

TKMI'KRANCK. 
Hat not to (hiUness ; drink not to elevation. 

SlI.KN'CK. 
Speak not hut what may iK-nefit others or yourself: avoid 
trifling conversation. 

Okdicr. 
Let all vour things have their places ; let each part of your 
business have its time. 

RH.SOM'TIOX. 
Resolve to jierform what you ought : perform without fail 
what >ou resohf. 

Fricv.\i,itv. 
Make no exi)en>e but to do good to others or yourself ; i e, 
waste nothing. 

I.NDISTKV. 

Lose no time ; be always employetl in something useful ; 
cut off all unnecessary actions. 

Sl.NCKRITV. 
Use no hurtful deceit ; think innocently ;ind justly: and, 
if you speak, speak accordingly. 

JUSTICK. 
Wrong none b\- doing injuries, or omitting the benefits 
that are yoiu- dutw 

MoDlvR.VTlO.N. 

A\<iid extremes : forl)ear resenting injuries so much as you 
think tbe\- deserve. 

ClJvVNI.I.NKSS. 

Tolerate no uncleanliuess iu bodv, clolhes or habitation. 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 

BICENTENARY COMMITTEES, 



RECEPTION 
Horace W. Hosie Bradley M. Rockwood 

George F. S. vSixcletox Bernard \V. McCabe 

Fred P. Chapman Walter A. Clark 

Charles A. R. Ray Nathan C. Nye 

michapx j. costello joseph g. bourbeau 

Herbert W. Thayer Walter M. Fishp:r 

George R. Winsor Jerome B. Fitzpatrick 

Metcale E. Pond 

FINANCE 
Harry T. Hayward Leroy W. Stott 

George F. vS. Singleton George E. Duffy 

Jereml\h J. McCarthy Fred H. Bartholomew 

Jacob F. Geb 

LIBRARY 
Arthur W. Peirce Joseph G. Ray 

Adelbert D. Thayer Horace W. Hosie 

Charles A. R. Ray Bradley M. Rockwood 

SPEAKERS AND ENTERTAINMENT 
Henry E. Ruggles Orestes T. Doe 

Arthur W. Peirce Addison M. Thayer 

William F. Ray William S. Johnson 

Walter C. vSherman 

PRINTING AND SOUVENIRS 
Palmer A. Woodward Joseph P. Bassett 

Allan Ra^isay Carl B. Johnson 

PUBLIC SCHOOL CELEBRATION 
Fred p. Chapman Ambrose J. Gallison 

Irving H. Gamwell 

DECORATION 

E.Bertram Sherman Francis H. Appleton, Jr. 

M.\RSTON vSanborn Edward vS. Cook 

John A. Geb 

EXECUTIVE 
Henry E. Ruggl^'.s Jeremiah J. McCarthy 

William F. Ray Hor.\ce W. Hosie 

Harry T. Hayward Georgp: F. S. vSingleton 



o The I-lciii;in:in Fmnkliii Cc'chnition 



« «l**^4 •# 4 * ••« ^ * •■•••••8 



99'^v^ Ci 



LIBRARY PRESENTED TO THE TOWN BY EENJAMIN FRANKLIN IN 1785. 
"Alouiiiii Ma^>acliustlls liiis (iom- nie the luiiKir of iiaiuiiiji itself 
after iiu-, and i)r()i)0-.iiij.j to l)iiiUl a stec])lc to their iiuttiiijj liouse if I 
would j;ive them ahell. I have advised the sparing themselves the ex- 
])ense of a steeple for the i)reseiit. and that the_\- would accept of hooks 
instead of a hell — sense heiiija; i)referahle to sound. These are intended 
as the c; inmencement of a little parochial lihrary for the use of a society 
of intellij;<^'it. resjiectahle farmers, such as our country jieople jjeiieral- 
Iv consist of." I Letter from lienjaniin I'ranklin to Dr I'rice in reference 
to the gift.) 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 

BIRTIiDflY CELEBRATION 

Arranged by the pranKliQ Business 
Association, Morse Opera House, 
praoKliO' 'Vlass., Wednesday Even = 
ing, January Seventeen, Nineteen 
HuQdred ar)d Six 

PROGRAM 

MARCH— "Father of Victory" .... Gannc 

JAPANESE SERBNADK— "Poppies" . . Morct 

POPULAR MEDLEY— "Starlight" . . . Morse 

ADDRESS OF WELCOME— 

Judge H. E. Riiggle.s, Pre.sident of Association 

ADDRESS— 

Lieut. -Gov. Eben S. Diaper, representing the 
Com inon wealth 

XYLOPHONE SOLO— Szvain 

]Mr. Berton 
ADDRESS— 

Ex-Gov. John L. Bates, "lioston the Birthplace 
of Benjamin iManklin" 

OPERA — "E;rmine" .... Jakoborvski 

ADDRESS— 

Prof. Arthur W. Peiice. " Franklin Hiid the 
Franklin Library" 

ORIGINAL POEM— 

Miss Maude L. Ray 

ENTRE ACTF:— "Happy Heiuie" . . . Laiiipe 

ADDRESS— 

Leon H. Vincent, "Franklin as a Man of 
Letters" 



CoQcert by Poole's Boston Orchastra from 7 30 to 8 o'clocK- 



A Few pacts 
F^clating to tbe 
ToWQ of pronKliQ 



Its Past. Present and future 




By the Town of Frnnldin, Mass. 



^3 




FRANKLIN is centrally located on liiK'i. level kuul, 27 
miles from Boston, on the main line of the Midland 
Division, of the N. Y.. N. H. & H. R. R., with branch- 
es in one direction 20 miles to Providence, and the 
other connecting with the 
N. Y. Central R. R. 

The Milford, Attleboro, 
Franklin and Woonsocket 
and the Norfolk Western 
electric lines give frequent 
communications b e t w e e n 
these centers and also be- 
tween Franklin and Boston 
and the smaller surround- 
ing towns. The former company owns Hoag L,ake where it 
maintains free pleasure groiuuls 
with numerous attractions. This line 
also runs to Lake Pearl and Archer's 
Lake, two of the most picturesque 
lakes in New England, which give 
the pul)lic attracti\-e oiiting places 
for a five cent fare. 

Franklin is a thriving, ener- 
getic, modern town, with all the re- 
cent advances in the line of superior 
schools, good streets and roads, 
electric lights and sewerage sj-stem, 
well kept sidewalks, free local and rural mail facilities, abund- 
ant water supply and beaiitifnl 
lawns; keenly alive to all that 
is progressive and desirable in 
residential and industrial direc- 
tions. 

The town of Franklin was 
set off from Wrentham in 1778 
by a legislative act incorporat- 
ing the westerl}^ part of the town 





14 



The IScnjnuiin I-'rnnkllii Cclchniti'oii 




of Wreiitliaiii in 
the (then ) connty 
of Snffolk, into a 
town by the name 
of Franklin. The 
n a ni e originally 
selected for the 
town was Exeter. 
and the bill in- 
corporating it mi- 
der that name jxissL-d two rL-admi^- in Uk- lycgislalnre, when it 
was changed to Franklin, thougli the records fail to show by 
whom the change was made or under what anthorization. Since 
that time it has gradually passed through that period of transi- 
tion from the typical 
New England villagi 
with its proneness to 
quiet and comforta- 
ble ease, its conscr\ - 
atism and <i ua li t y. 
While froni a uu-r- 
cantile point of \iew 
Franklin has super- 
ior advantages, yet as a residential town It has tew equals m 
the state. It is rapidly l)ecoming favorably known as a sum- 
mer resort, its proximity to the l)eautifnl lakes making it a 
most desirable ])lace to ^])end the heated term: attracting many 

\isitors a u d 
gnests fro m 
the large cit- 
ies of the east 
and w est, 
who find here 
an ideal place 
for recrea- 
tion, pleasure 
and rest. 





Bv the Town of Franklin, Mass. 



15 



Perhaps no historic figure 
stands out more distinctly in the 
annals of New England chnrches 
than the famous divine, Dr. Nath- 
aniel Emmons, and the town is 
full of anecdotes and reminiscen- 
ces of his day and generation. 
For sixty-seven years he ministered to this people, and his 
sermons are models of concise reasoning and logic. He dressed 
in quaint fashion ; short in statiire, with narrow, smooth face. 
He left an impress upon all who came in touch with him eqiial- 
led by few men of his generation. 

Another dis 




Franklin whose 
abroad in many 
Makepeace Thay- 
forceful preacher, a 
master of terse, vig- 
niauy Ijooks tend- 
men to make the 
have commanded 
thoughtful minds, 
into many langu- 
in thousa n d s of 




tinguished son of 
name has gone 
lands is Rev. Wni. 
er, a successful and 
prolific writer, a 
orous English. His 
ing to urge young 
most of themselves 
the attention of 
been tra n s 1 a t e d 
ages and are found 
libraries and homes 
classes. 



and read b}- all 

Dr. Oliver Dean, fovmder of Dean Academy, demands 

recognition among Franklin's famous men. Possessed of ample 
means he devoted the latter portion 
of his life to the education of youth, 
and the beautifxil Dean Academy is 
today a monument to his generosity 
and foresight. The building is of 
the Gothic style, and architecturally 
\ ery graceful, its beautiful tower be- 
ing a landmark for miles around. It 
has accommodations for over 100 res- 
ident pupils, with school rooms, and 




i6 The liciijiuiun l^nmkliu CclchniLioii 



a fiiR- >iviiin.i-iuiii of ;iini)k- ijrojxirtion-. I"raiiklin is justly 
l)r(iutl <>l' Dt-aii Acaileniy, and the ni(--ni(iry of Dr. Dean is cIrt- 




ishc-.l witli rc'vc-R-nce and lovr. Dr. Dean gave to the school 
by gift and hy his will (Mer a quarter of a million dollars. 

Franklin is especially proud of its record of famous sons, 
enjoving as it does the enviable dis- 
tinction of being the birth])lace of one 
of the worlil's most famous edncalor-. 
Horace Mann, in \vlu)^e honor our 
High school was named. He was 
elected to Congress to till the jdace 
made vacant by the death of John 
Ouincy Adams, being in the House at 
the period of the hottest slavery agi- 
tation. He declined the nomination 
for the governorship of Massachusetts 
to become the president of an obscure 
western college, obedient to an ideal. 

Ever closely linked with the material prosperity ot this 

town will be 
the names of 
the "Rays of 
Franklin," 
svnonymo u s 
with en t e r - 
prise, busi- 
ness daring, 
won il e r f u 1 
fi n a n c i a 1 





By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 



17 



inanagenieiit and foresight. 
From luunble l)eginnings 
in 1839, willioiTt capital or 
influence, they steadily in- 
creased in wealth and busi- 
ness enterprises until their 
fame and influence extended 
far and wide. To Francis 
B., James P. and Joseph G. Ray i> Liigel\ due the upbuilding 
and continued prosperity of Franklin. Tn this connection 
should be mentioned the late Hon. William F. Ray, whose sud- 
den death in 1898 was a severe blow to the town. Possessed of 
remarkable energy and capacity as a manufacturer, a suavity 




■If 


M^ 


I ' '•"^'^m'-,^^ II !■■ ITT" 




^^^^^jjBtSS agWIBBgSi^Wi 


' 



■of manner which won him friends everywhere, a distinguished 
future was certainly before him. 

A prominent factor for many years in the industrial life of 
the town was the Thayer family, Major and Davis Thayer, Jr., 
and Emery Thayer, all of whom left their impress upon this 
• - town in a marked and help- 

ful degree, being pioneers in 
the straw business, and mak- 
ing Franklin among the first 
few towns in this country to 
embark in an enterprise of 
this nature. 

Among other men now 
passed and gone whose 




i8 



The Ilcnjunui) h^rniiklin Cc/chr.'itioii 



V 


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/v 


n AV" 

rrs I'f i= 


r 


Uv' 


wp-^p 


^ 






names lia\e ht'oii cimiicctL-il with llic in- 

tlnstrial ami social life of Franklin, are 

A. Hartvvell Morse, Eihvin Trowhridjie, 

Charles J. McKen/.ie, Daniel C. Collon, 

A. A. Riissegne, Clias. W. vStewart, Jas. 

M. Freeman, J. C ("Tallison and the 

Whitings, F-ishers, Nasons, Metcal fs 

Ponds, (ireenes, Daniels and others. 

This beantifnl Soldiers' Monument 

was ])resented t<i the town by Frederick 

A t w < ) < ) ( 1 
N e \\ ell, 

now of Altlelioro. who was a na- 
ti\e of Franklin. At the dedica- 
tion of the moniunent, Mr. New- 
ell was introduced in the following 
words: "Those of us who have 
followed Mr. Newell from boy- 
hood, and know of his career in 
the war, and later of his many 
deeds of kindness to old friends 
quietly done, are not surprised 
e\en in the stress of his busy life* 
that he should remember his na- 
ti\e town in this beautiful and 
lasting way." 
The substantial brick and stone vSt. Mary's Building is one 

of the most attractive public buildings in Franklin. It was 

built toanswer all the require- 
ments of the Catholic Parish 

and contains a large auditor- 
ium which is used for church 

purposes, a well equipped 

gymnasium with basket ball 

court, recreation and reading 

rooms, etc. The building oc- 
cupies a sightly location, near 

the head of the Common. 



METHODIST CHURCH 




By the Town of Fninklin, Mass. 



19 




The Franklin Bus- 
iness Association, un- 
der whose auspices this 
celebration was arrang- 
ed, was organized in 
1898. The late Joseph 
G. Ray was its first 
President and always 
took an active part in 
its affairs. 





The objects are to 
encourage the growth 
and advance the 
business prosperity of 
the town, also to pro- 
mote personal and 
social acq u a i n t a nee 
among its members. 



The rooms are 
well lighted, commod- 
iou-; and comfortable, 
thereby offering a 
\ery congenial meet- 
ing place at all times 
lor its members, which 
n<:)\v number 120. 

Some of the sub- 
stantial industries of 
the town have been 
induced to locate here through the efforts of the association, 
iimc ng the recent ones being the (xolling Mfg. Co. of Boston. 



20 The Ben in mi 11 Fninklin Celehrntion 



SOME OF 

FRANKLIN'S 

INDUSTRIES 




pRANKIvIN is established upon a rinii l)usinf>s luundation. 
Capital and labor sustain pleasant relations. Labor troub- 
les are unknown. A great many of the operatives own com- 
fortable homes. It has a National Bank with a surplus of over 




one hundred thousand ilulhir.-, in existence since 1865, and ^ 
thriving Savings and Cc-Operative Rank. 

One factor of 
growth is the 
diversity of in- 
dustries. Towns 
wliicli ha\e but 
one source of em- 
]) 1 o y m e n t for 
their wage earn- 
ers suffer period- 
icallv seasons of 




By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 



21 








depression, panics, strikes or business niisnianagement, entail- 
ing wholesale disaster in comninnities of limited activities. 

It is 
, universal- 
ly conced- 
ed that 
the life of 
a place de- 
pends up- 
on its manufacturers. No town can be designated as "alive" 
that does not have in its midst factories, mills and shops, busy 
with theluim of 
industry, the 
active energy of 
mechanics, 
artisans, opera- 
tives, etc. Ag- 
riculture m a y ^ 
serve its place in the industrial life of a community, but a dis- 
tinctiveh' agricultural place is never "alive." Ever since the 

Pi 1 grim 
Fath er s 
disputed 
with the 
red skin- 
ned abor- 
igine s 

the right to occupy and populate this section, from that mo- 
ment manufacturing has grown apace, and nothing is more re- 
markable 
than the 
tenacity 
with which 
manufact- 
uring h a s 
held its 

own in competition with other branches of in<lustrv. No vil- 








22 



The Hcnjnwiu l^nniklin Cck-hmtion 



hige ever grew to he a town except as manufacturing called in- 
to it nianv of the operatives who should tend thehnsy spindles. 




tlie whirring wheel ;, the hc.ivy uiechani-ui of ihe machine shop 

or the delicate mtchanism of tlie watch factory, the saw and 

plane of the hunh.i 

and wood turn in jj 

establish m e n t. 

Therefore to the 

in\en'.i\e genius. 

skill, industry ami 

.sobriety of its arl 

isans and uiecli.in 

ics, a place is i:i 

debted for its wealth ami jirosperity. l^Yanklin industries are 

nianv ami varied, among Ihem being Woolen. Worsted, Yarn, 




I 







I"Vll, Hlankel, T.iw^l, sl,,„l,h ,,nd Wool Sulxtitute Mills, Print- 
ing I'less Work;, I'iano Manufac'.orv, Eox I'aclorv, Rubber 



Bv the Town of Franklin, Mass. 



23 



Works, Straw Hat Factory, Iron Foundry, Machine vSliop, 
Ivcatlier Finding Factory, Bobbin Holder Factorv nnd Watson 
Maniifac- C^ 
tory. [ |7owt 

Hav- 
i n g all 
these mo- 
dern a d - 
vantages, 
together 
with ex- 
cellent shipping facilities, (being the largest shipping point on 
the Midland Division in the state), low freight rates and low 

rate of 





as a superior commercial and manufacturing centre. 

Taken altogether few towns possess advantages superior to 
Franklin, in places of historic interest, in natural resources, 
etc. There- 
fore, with 
justifiable 
pride the 
residen ts 
of Fra n k - 
lin, while 
rejoicing 
over its 
past, look 

liopefuUy and confidently into the future for even a greater de- 
gree of prosperity, both material and essential. 





Benjamin FranKlin 

I-roiii Ihe painting by Joseph Sifrcde Duplessis in the Hoston Public Library 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 25 

THE BOOK AND ITS PURPOSE. 



The Celebration by the Town of Franklin of the 
200th anniversary of the birth of its namesake, Benjamin 
Franklin, of which this little book is a permanent record 
and the preceeding pages a reproduction of the artistic 
souvenir program, was a result of the wise provision and 
efficient administration of the Franklin Business Associ- 
ation. It has seemed wise and fitting that the story of 
so interesting an occasion, and especially the able ad- 
dresses given, should be preserved in some permanent 
form, and this book is printed not only as a memorial of 
the day for those who participated in the occasion, but 
that succeeding generations may by reading of this cele- 
bration themselves honor the man whose name the town 
bears and whose character and whose generosity in the 
founding of our Library merit the abiding esteem of our 
citizens. 

The story of the Celebration, largely taken from the 
columns of the Franklin Sentinel, together with the ad- 
dresses given at the evening meeting, will be found in 
the following pages. 



26 The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

THE EVENTS OF ThjE DAY. 




ANUARY 17th, 1906, will ever remain a memorable 
day in the annals of Franklin and its Business 
Association, whose energetic efforts and gener- 
osity made possible the commemoration of the 
two hundredth birthday anniversary of Benja- 
min Franklin, in whose honor the town was 
nameil. 

While it might have seemed more fitting 
that the celebration should have been undertaken and carried owi 
under municipal auspices, yet there was no way in which this 
could legally be done, involving, as it must, the expenditure of mon- 
ies on the part of the town. Therefore, when the matter was broached 
to the Association, it at once met with a ready response, and at the 
meeting held on the i6th of November, just two months before the 
celebration, the various committees were appointed which should 
have charge of and be responsible for the success of the affair. 

The question of expense did not at that time come up, but at a 
later meeting it was found that the members very generally desired 
to contribute, some of them very generously indeed. From that 
time on there was not the slightest doubt but that the affair was go- 
ing to be one of the most memorable ever held in the town, as subse- 
quent events proved. 

Many meetings were held, and at each meeting substantial pro- 
gress was reported, and what is somewhat unusual in such matters, 
there was not the slightest friction or dissension regarding details or 
plans of work. Each committee went ahead according to its best 
judgment, and the result amply justified the confidence imposed in 
the personale of each committee. 

As time went it became apparent that to make the affair a success 
it should be the idea of a merely local affair should be discarded, and 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 27 

accordingly the effort was made to procure some of the best talent in 
the state. That this entertainment committee succeeded in that re- 
spect all who attended the exercises on Wednesday evening in the 
Opera House will abundantly testify. 

The Commonwealth was splendidly represented in the persons 
of the present lietitenant governor, His Honor, Eben S. Draper of 
Hopedale, and also a former governor, John L,. Bates, both of whom 
held the closest attention of their audience throughout their entire 
remarks. 

Ivocally the field was finely covered by Prof. Arthur W. Peirce, 
principal of Dean Academy, whose connection with the Ray Memori- 
al lyibrary, the present and future home of the Benjamin Franklin 
Library, is manifestly close, and Miss Maude L. Ray, a daughter of 
Franklin, whose literary ability and grace of manner easily make 
her the most fitting person to prepare the poem which should be 
handed down to posterity in connection with this most successful 
celebration. And lastly it would seem that the committee could not 
have secured a more capable speaker on the literary side of Benjamin 
Franklin than the talented lecturer, ly. H. Vincent. The lecture was 
in this popular speaker's happiest vein. It scintillated with humor, 
a smile running through the audience continually, and at the same 
time it was keenly analytical, besides showing vast research among 
Franklin's writings. 

While the claim of Franklin to especial honor does not rest alone 
upon the fact that it was the first town in the United States to take 
upon itself the name of that man who admittedly stands next to the 
immortal Washington in shaping the affairs of this nation, nor upon 
the fact that without question Franklin possessed the first town Pub- 
lic Library in the United States, a nucleus of which was here some 
thirty years before the gift of books from Benjamin Franklin, yet it 
points with justifiable pride to the fact that few if any towns in New 
England are richer in historical interest as the birthplace of individ- 



28 The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

uals whose name anil fame have extended far beyond our borders 
and even across the sea, vide Horace Mann, the educator of world- 
wide fame; Dr. Nathaniel Emmons, one of New England's foremost 
divines, and Rev. William Makepeace Thayer, author, preacher and 
temperance reformer. 

On Wednesday forenoon appropriate exercises were held in all the 
schools, where the children read and recited selections, and made 
drawings concerning the life of Franklin, visiting clergymen also ex- 
horting the pupils to emulate America's great commoner, as follows : 

Four Corners School, 9 A. M., Rev. F. A. Everett. 

Brick School, 10.15 A. M., Rev. F. A. Everett. 

Horace Mann vSchool, Eighth grades, 8.30 A. M., Ninth grade 
and High, 9 A. M., Judge Henry E. Ruggles. 

Nason Street School, 10.30 A. M., Rev. R. K. Marvin. These 
exercises were held in the Horace Mann building. 

W. M. Thayer School, 9 A. M., Rev. John Reid. 

Unionville School, 9.40 A. M., Rev. J. F. Russell. 

Town House School, 11 A. M., Rev. J. F. Russell. 

Arlington vStreet School, Rev. Ciuy W. Miner. 

In addition to these exercises a most interesting and instructive 
lecture on "The I^ife and Public vServices of P'ranklin" was given be- 
fore the students of the schools of the town by Rev. Henry R. Rose 
of Newark, N.J. Pupils of the Horace Mann School and of Dean 
Academy enjoyed the lecture on the Monday evening before the cel- 
ebration at the Dean Academy Chapel, and the pupils of the other 
schools at the Morse Opera House the afternoon before. 

Business was entirely suspended during the afternoon, most of 
the blocks being finely decorated, among them being the Fletcher 
building, Hotel Windsor, the small Ray building, Green's market, 
the Dana block, Metcalf's block, Searle's barber shop, Peck's store, 
Cataldo's building, Richard.son's market, Farrington's store, Morse 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 29 

block and the Opera House block. Mr. Singleton's residence was al- 
so handsomely decorated. Many flags about town were also dis- 
played. The decoration of the Post Office building was especially 
elaborate. 

During the afternoon the reception in the Business Men's rooms 
and the opening of the Children's Library in the Ray Memorial 
building attracted hundreds. A larger crowd of happy children nev- 
er assembled than those in the Library, and the librarian, Mrs. Hurd, 
was kept extremely busy. The fine display of Frankliniana held 
the interest of many, who hope to spend more time upon it later. 

The many visitors at the Business Men's rooms expressed sur- 
prise at the handsome appointments. Florist Slade had decorated 
the place lavishly with cut flowers and potted plants, and the New 
England Decorating company had hung bunting and flags most art- 
istically. Over two hundred guests registered in the guests' book in 
the reading room, where the many letters from distinguished person- 
ages were displayed, prominent among them being one from Presi- 
dent Roosevelt. In Odd Fellows' Hall the Manola orchestra dis- 
coursed excellent music, punch and fancy crackers were served, and 
social chat and dancing were enjoyed. The Woonsocket Business 
Men's quartette furnished pleasing vocal selections. 

At the exercises in the Opera House in the evening admission 
was by ticket entirely, and practically every seat was taken, together 
with the nearly one hundred extra sittings provided. The interior 
of the place had been literally transformed with bunting, pictures, 
and flowers from the Slade greenhouse, palms, ferns, callas and gera- 
niums predominating. A large picture of Franklin was hung above 
the stage, with the seal of the state upon the left and "E Pluribus 
Unum" upon the right. Large pictures of Washington and Roose- 
velt were upon either side, providing a most artistic decorative effect. 
Poole's Orchestra of Boston, ten pieces, discoursed delightful music 
during the exercises. ( See program, page 7 ) . 



3o The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

THE ADDRESSES Of Th|E EVENING. 



ADDRESS Oy WELCOME— JUDGE HENRY E. RUGGLES, 

President of tbe fanKHo Buslrjess Association. 

Ladies and Gentlemen and Invited Guests : 

On behalf of the Franklin Business Association it is my pleasant 
duty to welcome you here this evening to participate with us in the 
celebration of the bicentenary of the birth of our God-father, Benja 
min Franklin, whose honoured name our municipality bears. The 
duties of your presiding officer this evening are most pleasant, but 
beg to assure you that it will be analogous to that of the menu at the 
board, which tells of the good things that are spread before you for 
your mental enjoyment rather than to attempt, if I could, to edify or 
instruct. It seems not inappropriate at this time to read the telegram 
which we have received from our sister municipality in Pennsylva- 
nia. It is as follows : 

Franklin, Pa., Jan. 17, 1906. 

"To the Town of Franklin, Mass. Franklin, Penn., so named 
by Act of Assembly after Ben. Franklin in 1795, sends greetings and 
congratulations on our bicentennial being celebrated today." 

J. R. Robertson, Mayor. 

Upon receipt of this, the following reply has been sent : 

Franklin, Mass., Jan. 17, 1906. 
"To the Mayor of Franklin, Penn. Franklin, Mass., the first of 
that name incorporated and named in 1778, sends greeting to her 
sister city in Pennsylvania on the bicentenary of the birth of the man 
whose name we bear and whose fame we honour." 

To the friends who are present with us this evening to partici- 
pate with us in this celebration we extend a most cordial welcome 
and greeting. We l)elieve that your presence here is evidence that 



e 



By^ the Town of Franklift, Alass. 31 

our efforts have not been in vain, and we trust that the occasion may 
be one that will be enjoyable and instructive. 

To the sons and daughters of old Franklin, who have gone forth 
from among us, whose lives are cast in pleasant places, we welcome 
you today at the celebration of Ben. Franklin, who gave his name to 
your natal town. We are glad to learn of your success and achieve- 
ments, whether in the industrial, mercantile or intellectual world, 
and we assure you that in old Franklin, at her fireside there is ever 
a chair waiting, and at the festive board is always a place reserved for 
your return. We trust that yoi: will ever keep in mind the friends 
and associations of your youth. 

We are fortunate in being represented as a municipality by our 
relatives, so to speak, the official representatives of the towns from 
which we were either offset or who have separated from us, they hav- 
ing honored us with their presence this evening, each being repre- 
sented in an official capacity. The Town of Dedham, our grand- 
mother, of whom there is first historical records as a town in 1636, 
Our mother, Wrentham, incorporated in 1673; Franklin, formerly 
the North Parish of Wrentham, incorporated March 2, 1778 ; Norfolk, 
our daughter set off in 1870, and our youngest sister set off from 
Wrentham is yet in her swaddling clothes having not yet attained 
the mature age of one year, the Town of Plainville. To each and all 
we welcome you at this family reunion and period of tlianksgiving. 

The Town of Franklin topographically is situated upon an emin- 
ence of high land from which she can view the broad acres and happy 
homes of her farming community, can view the scenes of industrial 
life and activity in her manufactories, and her broad streets teem 
with evidence of mercantile life, all of which she is justly proud. She 
also views with pleasure the evidence of prosperity, material and in- 
dustrial in her neighboring towns. She has always lived in peace 
and harmony with them. Over the back-yard fences of our neighbor- 
ing municipalities there have been no bickerings or quarrels. On the 



32 The Benjamin Frnnklin Celebration 

contrary, we have rejoiced with them when men of intellect, strength 
and ability have been called to fill high place? in the affairs of the 
several towns, or of the Commonwealth. 



Introductioo of Mon. Eben S. Draper. 



The town of Franklin standing upon her eminence looking out 
into the west has seen a small commnnity rise and (lovirish. A com- 
mniiily founded upon the principles of love, amity and good will 
toward all mankind. Although small in area as an industrial com- 
munity, it has grown to magnificent proportions, its products are 
known throughout the world. This has been due largely to the same 
principle of amity and good will which was the foundation of the 
town, and has been observed in the relations of employer and em- 
ployee, which, combined with a rare executive ability, has made the 
town of Hopedale a pattern for other numicipalities. From this 
community has been called and has represented his district, of which 
we are a part, in the halls of national legislation, his voice also has 
been potent in the diplomatic courts of Europe, I refer to the Honor- 
able William F. Draper of Hopeilale. It would seem that that were 
honour enough for one community to receive in a generation, but 
the people of this Commonwealth believing that the executive ability 
displayed in the successful management of the industrial affairs of 
this town should at least in part be devoted to the service of the Com- 
monwealth, and she has called another of this family, one who ha? 
been in and out among us frequently as a neighbor and a friend in 
OUT homes, whose person is not imfaniiliar on our streets. It does, 
indeed, give me great ple.isure, and I have the honor to introduce to 
yon as the first speaker of the evening, our neighl)or and friend, His 
Honour, Eben S. Draper of Hopedale, tlu' L,ieutenant-Governor of 
this Commonwealth. 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 33 

ADDRESS OF LIEUT. - GOV. EBEN S. DRAPER. 

J^epreseQting t\)Q Cororoonwealtl). 



Mr. President, Ladies and Genti,emen : 

It gives me great pleasure to be here this evening to join with 
yon in this 200th Anniversary celebration of one of America's great- 
est men. We all have our own special heroes, men who appeal to us 
as the greatest among many who were great, and I have always con- 
sidered Franklin one of the greatest figures in American history. 

As I have read the history of the American Revolution, and the 
time immediately preceding and following, Washington, Hamilton 
and Franklin have been the three figures which have most impressed 
me. They were as unlike as possible, and were laboring in different 
fields, and in different ways, but each left an impress on the history 
of our country which will last as long as history is written. The army 
and successful organization of a nation were in Washington's and 
Hamilton's spheres, while our foreign relations and diplomacy were 
Franklin's special field. In each sphere success was earned in spite 
of the most tremendous obstacles. 

I shall not undertake in this presence nor at this time to dwell 
on the character or accomplishments of the great man whose anni- 
versary we are here to celebrate. You will hear that much more fully 
and accurately from others than I could hope to give it, but I can 
congratulate you on your name and what it stands for. 

While those times were momentous and full of historical events, 
they were no more so than 1905 which has just passed. The great 
new nation of the East has been born, and in its birth it has been the 
direct cause of a new nation in Russia. While no one can tell what 
the ultimate form of Russia's government wall be, it is very certain 
to be much different from what it has been, and in this great histor- 
ical event our own country, through its great President, has played a 
wonderful part. 



34 The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

One humlred and twenty years ago Franklin's help was needed 
to get the slightest recognition from foreign nations of our existence. 
Today two great nations of the world stop warring and make peace 
under the guidance of our President. Is not the difference in posi- 
tion almost beyoutl I^elief, and how much of this accomplishment do 
we not owe to the great men who founded our republic. 

The principles of true liberty and equality of all before the law 
were fought for in the War of the Revolution, and were established 
as the basis of our government by the great men who founded our 
nation. Keeping as near them as he could, our country has been the 
mecca for the people of all other nations who were not satisfied, eith- 
er with their governmental conditions, their ability to earn a good 
living, or their opportunity to advance in the scale of civilization. 
While we have fallen many times from the high ideals that we had 
before us, and which were franaed in our constitution, still on the 
whole we have done well in comparison with the other nations of the 
world, and as a result we have grown and prospered more than any 
previous nation iu the world's history. So long as wemaiutain these 
ideals, and do not allow our seeming greatness to lead us astray, we 
shall continue to advance and ])rosper, and it seems to me that such 
occasions as this tend in no small degree to influence our minds in 
the right direction. 

Recalling the gretitness of those who have passed, and having 
their trials brought before us, and learning and studying how well 
they met and overcame them, we umst certainly be filled with not 
only a great admiration for what they did, but with a great desire to 
emulate them in our day and generation. 

It has been a special pleasure to me that my first public appear- 
ance since my assumption of the duties of Lieutenant-Governor of 
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts should have been in my own 
neighborhood, and iu a town so well deserving of its splendid name. 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 35 

Introduction of Ex-Governor Johr) L. Bates. 



Ben. Franklin was nothing if not cosmopolitan. Born in Puri- 
tan New England, he had that stern common sense which stood 
him well throughout his life. However, he in early life went and 
became subjected to the influence of the mild Quaker. It was this 
moving about, this contact with men, which is perhaps a partial 
key to his success. We have had a denomination whose ministers, 
owing to the rules of their church, were somewhat migratory; I re- 
fer to the Methodist denomination. There was one eminent clergy- 
man of this faith who had parishes throughout different sections of 
this Commonwealth. To him was born a son in the Town of North 
Easton. That son afterwards lived in various sections of this 
Commonwealth and came as near under the influence of our Town 
of Franklin as he could, by living in Blackstone, in that portion 
known as Millville. He finally, however, settled in Boston, in the 
practice of his profession, and from there began his career. He be- 
came interested, as should all good citizens, in public affairs, and 
it was not long before recognition came. First there was service 
in the City of Boston as a member of the Common Council; from 
that he was elected a member of the Massachusetts Legislature, 
and was chosen as Speaker of the House of Representatives, and 
the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, recognizing the 
ability of the man, elected him successively Lieutenant-Governor 
and Governor of this Commonwealth. I have the honor and privi- 
lege of introducing to you as the next speaker, who will address 
us upon the topic of "Boston, the Birthplace of Franklin," Ex- 
Governor John L. Bates of Boston. 



3^ The Benjnmin Franklin Celebration 

ADDRESS OF EX-GOVERNOR JOh|N L. BATES 

of Boston. 



President, Your Honor, Ladies and Gentlemen : 

I come to join with you in the exercises of this day and to con- 
gratulate you on your appropriate celebration. It is a prouil distinc- 
tion to bear the name of the most gifted man that this country has j'et 
produced, and particularly fitting is it, when in many places and on 
two continents the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the birth of such 
a man is being commemorated, that the Town that has such a dis- 
tinction should join in the celebration and mark the Anniversary by 
exercises of more than passing interest. 

Piloquent words of eulogy of Benjamin Franklin will be spoken 
from a thousand platforms tonight. They will not add to his great- 
ness, but, just as we do not expect to make men greater by erecting 
monuments to their memory, but rather that the silent bronze, for- 
ever testifying to the virtues of a great character, may tend to pro- 
duce loftier sentiments, grander ideals and better citizenship in those 
who look upon it, so do we on such occasions as these, by recounting 
the virtues and achievements of the dead, expect in a measure to 
stimulate the living. We do not erect monuments or celebrate birth- 
days lest we forget, but rather because we cannot forget. 

It may be that lives so honored have made men particularly in- 
debted to them, but humanity, by its memorials, seeks not to dis- 
charge the debt but rather to give expression to its gratitude. For 
such a reason does the monument stand to Dr. Morton in the Public 
Garden in the City of Boston, — his discovery banishing from the 
world much of human agony. Recently there was dedicated in Bos- 
ton the Hooker Monument, erected to express the gratitude of a peo- 
ple to the .soldiers who saved the nation and kept all the stars in the 
constellation of our flag. Toothers, monuments have been erected be- 
cause they represented some great cause. Horace Mann stands at the 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 37 

right of the portals of our State House because of his devotion to the 
cause of education. Daniel Webster stands there because of his cham- 
pionship of the Constitution. William lyloyd Garrison sits serenely 
on the pedestal of granite on the finest avenue on the American con- 
tinent because he dared to champion, notwithstanding the persecu- 
tion of men, the cause of the slave. To others we have erected mon- 
uments because they represented to us certain American ideals. 
Such are memorials of Washington, Lincoln and McKinley, but to 
Franklin, America has erected memorials because he illustrates, 
more fully perhaps than any other, the possibilities of American life, 
— the great avenues of distinction, of knowledge, and of service to 
one's fellow men, open to every American who has the enterprise to 
see, the energy to enter, and the perseverance to continue upon them. 

The subject assigned tome this evening is "Boston, the Birth- 
place of Franklin." When the representative of the Committee in- 
formed me that that was to be my subject, he suggested that it was 
not necessary to more than refer to it ; but I am going to cling closer 
to my text than does the average clergyman in these modern days. 

There is a type of humanity that we call the Yankee. He hails 
from New England. Boston has produced more Yankees than any 
other place in the world's history. Hence, in the mind of every 
New Englander it must follow that the world is more indebted to 
Boston than any other city that has existed. 

In speaking of Boston this evening, T assume that you will un- 
derstand that I refer not so much to Boston the city, as Boston the 
type, — Boston the concentrated New England. 

A Yankee is the most inquisitive, the most curious, the most 
persevering genius of man extant today. He is never satisfied with 
what is. He was born to enlighten his fellow men. He does not 
mind incidentally being considered disagreeable so long as he feels 
that he is giving information that ought to be given or accomplish- 
ing a desirable end. 



38 The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

Lowell tells us that a Yankee is full of expedients not yet cap- 
able of comfort. General Horace Porter, who seems to have made a 
special study of this subject, says that "A Yankee can never let well 
enough alone ; that a New Englander never goes to sleep in a sleep- 
ing car, but lies awake all night thinking how he can improve upon 
every device and patent in sight." 

There is no doubt that Franklin was a Yankee, and, if history 
had not told us that he was born in Boston, a discriminating world 
would have had no difficulty in arriving at that conclusion. There 
has, however, been some difificulty in determining the exact place in 
Boston where Franklin was born. He himself once wrote that he 
was born in the house known as the "Blue Ball" that formerly stood 
near the corner of Union and Hanover streets, but, while Franklin 
was undoubtedly present and seems to have been, in common with 
all Boston born children, exceedingly precocious from the hour of his 
birth, it cannot be presumed, nevertheless, that he took particular 
notice of his surroundings at that time, and the historians have been 
unwilling to take his word in this matter as against the testimony of 
the Town records that clearly show that he was born on Milk street 
near the present corner of Washington street and opposite the Old 
South Church. This controversy caused Mark Twain to say "No 
man could be born in two places unless he was twins and that Frank- 
lin was twins." 

The home into which he came as child number fifteen was hum- 
ble, but strong in character, because of the influence of the old Puri- 
tan who was its head, — a sturdy independent who had come to this 
country twenty-one years before for the same reason that the settlers 
of 1620 and 1630 had come — that he might worship God in accordance 
with the dictates of his own conscience. Many years later, the Bos- 
ton press, in publishing an account of his death, said "That he was 
enabled to die as he had lived with cheerfulness, leaving a numerous 
posterity the honor of being descended from a person who, through 
a long life, supported the character of an honest man." 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 39 

The house where Franklin was born was constructed of wood, 
and was two stories high, with a pitched roof above, beneath which 
was the unfinished attic where Franklin as a young child slept. The 
two stories and attic of the house projected over the street after the 
fashion of many an old house still standing in New England. 
Rough clapboards covered the front, and rough shingles the sides 
and rear, and kept out the storm. There was but one room on the 
first floor of the main part of the house. This was used as a dining 
room, sitting room, or parlor as occasion demanded. There was a 
huge fire place on one side and into this the logs were rolled to keep 
the family warm. There were no stoves. The world was waiting 
for Franklin to invent them. 

When Franklin was born, Boston itself was but a boy in age and 
experience as towns go. It was remote from the active world, sur- 
rounded by a wilderness. Perhaps nine thoTisand people lived in it. 
They had made for Governor Andros trouble and driven him forth 
from the Colony some years before this time, but their fame had not 
yet become great, nor were the characteristics, for which they after- 
ward became noted, at this time generally recognized. 

The town had visitors, then as now, who vrent back to their homes 
in England to write articles on their travels, some to praise, some to 
ridicule, and a few to do even justice. 

It was about the time that Franklin first opened his eyes in the 
world that a Mr. Edward Ward of London wrote an interesting, if 
not flattering description of the town and its people. I would not 
dare to repeat all that he said. Let us, however, listen to him for a 
moment, — "Boston," he says, "is the metropolis of New England." 

"The houses in some parts joyn as in London. The buildings, 
like their Women, being Neat and Handsome. And their Streets, 
like the Hearts of the Male Inhabitants are Paved with Pebble." 

"In the Chief, or high Street, there are stately Edifices, some of 
which have cost the owners two or three Thousand Pounds the rais- 



40 The Bcnjnmin Pranklin Celebration 

ing; which, I think, plainly proves Two old Adage? true, viz: That 
a Fool and his Money is soon parted ; and, set a Beggar on Horse- 
back he'll Ride to the Devil ; for the Fathers of these Men were 
Tinkers and Peddlers." 

"The Inhabitants seem very Religious, showing many outward 
and visible Signs of an inward and vSpiritual Grace ; But tho' they 
wear in their Faces the Innocence of Doves, you will find them in 
their Dealings, as Subtile as Serpents. Interest is their Faith, Money 
their God and Large Possessions the only Heaven they covet." 

"If you Kiss a Woman in Publick, tho' offer'd as a Courteous 
Salutation, if any Information is given to the Select Members, both 
shall be Whip'd or Fin'd." 

"Another Inhabitant of the Town was fin'd Ten Shillings for 
Kissing his own wife in his Garden ; and obstinately refusing to pay 
the Money, endured Twenty Lashes at the Gun. And at this rate 
one of the delightfulest Customs in the World will in time be quite 
thrown out of fashion, to the Old Folk satisfaction, but to the Young 
ones Lamentation, who love it as well in New-England, as we do in 
the Old." 

"Every Tenth man is chose as one of the Select, who have power, 
together, to Regulate and Punish all Disorders that happen in their 
several Neighbourhoods. The I'enalty for Drunkenness, is w-hipping 
or a Crown ; Cursing or Swearing, the same Fine, or to be bor'd 
thro' the tongue with a hot iron ; But get your vSelcct Member into 
your Company andTreat him, anil you may do either without offence; 
and be as safe as a Parishioner here in a Tavern in the Church 
Wardens Company in Sermon-time." 

All of which goes to show that the public officials of Boston had 
their detractors in the early days as well as in more recent years, but 
not all writers were so severe, and civic pride as well as historic data 
compel nie to believe that Daniel Neal's description, written not 
long after, is more in accordance with the facts. Among many in- 
teresting things Mr. Neal tells lis, — 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 41 

"There are five Priuting-Presses in Boston, which are generally 
full of Work, by which it appears, that Humanity and the Knowledge 
of Letters flourish more here than in all the ether English Planta- 
tions put together." 

"There are at present twenty-five Allies, thirty-six Lanes, forty- 
two Streets, and in all together about three thousand Houses, sever- 
al of which for the Beauty of the Buildings may compare with most 
in the City of London. The Town is well paved, and several of the 
streets as wide and spacious as can be desired." 

"The Conversation in this Town is as polite as in most Cities and 
Towns in England ; many of their Merchants having travelled into 
Europe ; and those that stay at home having the Advantage of a free 
Conversation w'ith Travellers ; so that a Gentleman from London 
would almost think himself at home at Boston, when he observes the 
Number of People, their houses, their furniture, their Tables, their 
Dress and Conversation, which perhaps is as splendid and showy, as 
that of the most considerable Tradesman in London." 

"Upon the whole, Boston is the most flourishing Town for Trade 
and Commerce in the English America ; here the Governor common- 
ly resides, the General Court and Assembly meet, the Courts of Judi- 
cature sit, and the Affairs of the whole Province are transacted ; 'tis 
the best Port in New-England, from whence 3 or 400 Sail of Ships, 
Ketches, Brigantines &c. are laden every Year with Lumber, Beef, 
Port, Fish, &c. for several Parts of Europe and America." 

Into this young Puritan town came Franklin, and, on the very 
day of his birth, in the midst of winter, was taken to the Old South 
Meeting House and baptized. 

Notwithstanding his large family and humble trade, Franklin's 
father seems to have prospered, and when the boy was only six years 
old, the family moved to a new hoxise purchased by the father and 
situated at the corner of Union and Hanover Streets, and being the 
house to which I have referred, known as the "Blue Ball" until the 



42 The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

lime of its destruction in 1858. Union vSlreet probably covers the 
space formerly occupied by this house, and the tide of busy, strug- 
gling humanity flows ceaselessly back and forth over it every day. 

From this house Franklin vent out to buy the famous whistle for 
which he too eagerly exchanged all the pennies in his pocket, and 
thereby made a bad bargain, from which, however, he learned the 
lesson that served him all his life-time, and has served the world well 
ever since. 

It was in this home that he shocked his pious father by suggest- 
ing that it would save much time to say grace over the whole barrel 
of beef in lump instead of over each piece in detail as it came to the 
table. 

From this house, for a period, he went daily to the old Latin 
School on School Street, at that time called the Grammar School, and 
located on the spot where the Franklin Statue now stands in front of 
the present City Hall. He was a leader among the boys of his age, 
self-reliant, strong, daring, a lover of pleasure, and somewhat in- 
clined to mischief. He tells us how he and his comrades built a 
wharf on the marsh, for their own enjoyment, out of the stones that 
had been hauled there to build a cellar. The work of the boys was 
done by night, but the day discovered it, and when called to account, 
l)y his father, he strongly argued in defence the utilitj' of his work, 
but his father's correction, judiciously applied, convinced him that 
nothing was useful that was not honest. Franklin never forgot that 
lesson. 

Some years ago, one of the most distinguished editors of mod- 
ern times said at a public gathering, — "I honor the memory of 
Franklin because he was a journeyman printer who did not drink, a 
philosopher who wrote common sense, and an office holder who did 
not steal." 

His schooling was very limited. His father recognizing his nat- 
ural aptitude for study, desired for him a college education, and .so 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 43 

sent him to the Grammar School, but, after a few months, he saw 
that it was impossible for him to give the boy the education that he 
would like, and so he was taken from the Grammar School, which 
would have prepared him for college, and sent for a few months to a 
master who taught him arithmetic and only such studies as would be 
of immediate assistance to him in active business. He was in the 
Latin and Grammar School long enough to go to the head of his class 
and be promoted into another, and would have been advanced to a 
third had he been left there a few weeks longer. At the early age 
of ten years his school days were over, and he went to work for his 
father in the tallow-chandler's shop. It is needless to say that he did 
not like it and looked longingly towards the sea nearby as furnish- 
ing larger possibilities. His father recognized that a more congenial 
pursuit must be found for him if he wished to keep him on land, and 
finally, after the manner of the times, when only twelve years of age, 
he was bound to his brother James as an apprentice to learn the trade 
of a printer. 

This suited him. It gave him an opportunity to get hold of books 
and to gratify his insatiable thirst for knowledge. He attempted 
the writing of ballads, which his brother printed, and which Frank- 
lin sold on the streets. In later years, in writing to his son, he de- 
scribed these ballads as "miserable stuff." 

By the terms of apprenticeship his brother was bouuel to board 
him, but the boy proposed that he would board himself for one-half 
what his brother had to pay, and the offer was accepted, and Frank- 
lin boarded himself on one-half, and saved money to buy books and, 
as he noted, saved the time to read them that the others spent going 
back and forth to the boarding house. 

At this time he began the discussion of public questions. He 
studied arithmetic, grammar, rhetoric and logic. He disguised his 
hand and sent anonymous articles to the newspaper that his brother 
published and was gratified to find them accepted and well spoken 



44 The Bcnjiimin Fninklin Celebration 

of. When the secret was known, tli<e brother was surprised to find 
that the boy, whose duty it was to distribute the paper to subscribers, 
had been filling the columns with some of the best material, and a 
conse(iuet\t jealousy resulted. It was made unpleasant for the boy. 
Relief, however, came unexpectedly. The Massachusetts Assembly 
exercised the power that no modern General Court would dare to ex- 
ercise, and, because it was offended at a certain article published in 
the brother's paper, sent the brother to prison for thirty days, and 
thus Benjamin had his opportunity. He ran the paper, defended 
boldly the right of speech, and said uncomplimentary things about 
tliose who interfered with it, and narrowly escaped imprisonment 
himself, but upon his brother's release, although the paper was run 
in Benjamin's charge to avoid trouble with the General Court, the ill 
feeling between the brothers grew rapidly, and Benjamin decided 
that he would not stay any longer. He found, however, every print- 
ing shop in Boston closed to him because of the stories his brother 
had circulated. His father was inclined to decide with tlie brother, 
and finally, at seventeen years of age, without notice to anyone, he 
ran away to the City of Philadelphia. His association with Boston 
thereafter was very meagre. 

Having found friends in his adopted City, at their suggestion 
he returned to obtain funds from his father to start himself in 
business, but he was unsuccessful. He did not return to Boston 
again for ten years. Then, although tweuty-seven years of age, he 
had already arrived at distinction, — his Poor Richard's Almanac 
had made him famous, and he had become successful in business. 
His relatives and his old friends welcomed him back again. For 
nearly half a century he continued his visits every teu years to his 
native place, aud never did he lose bis regard for the old town of 
his boyhood. It was one of the deepest regrets of his declining 
years that his weakness did not permit him to again visit the 
scenes of his childhood. 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 45 

In 1784 he writes, "I long much to see again my native place. 
I left it in 1723; I visited it in 1733, 1743, 1753, and 1763. 1773 I 
was in England. 1775 I had a sight of it, but could not enter, it 
being in possession of the enemy." 

In 1788 he wrote, "It would certainly be a very great pleasure 
to me if I could only once again visit my native town and walk 
over the ground I used to frequent when a boy, and where I enjoy- 
ed many of the innocent pleasures of youth, and where I might find 
some of my old acquaintances to converse with. I enjoy the com- 
pany and conversation with its inhabitants when any of them are 
so good as to visit me, for, besides their general good sense, which 
I value, the Boston manner, term of phrase, and even tone of voice 
and accent of pronunciation, all please and seem to refresh and re- 
vive me." 

He was anxious to show his love for New England by more 
than words, and so in his will he states, "I was born in Boston, 
New England, and owe my first instructions in literature to the 
three Grammar Schools established there, — I have, therefore, con- 
sidered these schools in my will." 

As the result of the provision that he made, thousands of 
bright scholars have been stimulated to their best efforts and have 
received the honor of a Franklin Medal. Another provision of the 
will was intended to give assistance to worthy Boston mechanics, 
and from the fund thus provided is soon to be developed the 
Franklin Institute. 

Franklin's life and character were moulded by the seventeen 
years he lived in New England. He often attributed to the disci- 
pline of those years the characteristics for which he subsequently 
became famous. It was in Boston that he imbibed the spirit of 
Yankee thrift, of Yankee inquisitiveness, the desire for knowledge, 
the puritanical sense of duty and intellectual strength so manifest 
in his subsequent career. 



4^ The Benjamin Frnnklin Cclcbrntion 

The growth and development of Franklin's great character 
was no more remarkable than has been that of his native city. 
Then a small town of but a few inhabitants, — to-day it is a metrop- 
olis having 2,850,000 people living within a radius of fifty miles of 
its capital, making the community of which it is the center the 
second most populous in a uation of more than eighty millions of 
people. In that community live twice as many people as live 
within an equal distance of St. Louis ; seven hundred thousand 
more than live within the same distance of Chicago, and three 
hundred thousand more than live within the same distance of 
Philadelphia. That community is served by more miles of steam 
and electric railway than any other in the United States without 
exception, and the per capita wealth of its inhabitants is larger by 
several hundred thousand dollars than that of any other large city. 

Within this radius of fifty miles of Boston, there is one-thirti- 
eth of the population of the country, and one-twentieth of its 
wealth ; while one-fifth of all the Savings Bank deposits, repre- 
senting the prosperity of the great mass of its people, are to be 
found there also. 

The state of which it is the capital and whose population is 
nearly all gathered within that radius of fifty miles, has no mines 
of gold nor silver nor copper nor iron, yet it has furnished the cap- 
ital for the development of such mines in almost every state in the 
Union. It has no fertile plains upon which to raise herds of cattle, 
yet its manufacturers consume more hides and make more shoes 
than all the rest of the American people. Not a pound of cotton is 
grown within its borders, and yet it makes the cloth for the cloth- 
ing of one-half the uation. 

First settled by those who looked to the fisheries for their 
maintenance, gradually developing as a great maritime people, 
forced to leave the sea by reason of the nation's tariff policy, they 
built up a system of manufactures that has given them the proud 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 47 

distinction of serving the nation and the right to take tribute from 
the nation because of the service rendered. But her citizens pride 
themselves not in her material welfare, but in fact, rather, that 
Massachusetts has not lived for herself alone. All the states shared 
with her the heritage of Plymouth Rock — religious liberty — the 
heritage of Lexington Green and Concord Bridge, political liberty. 
Not for her alone did her Franklin stand before Kings and Parlia- 
ments, and her Adams summon patriots, and her Otis fling the fire 
brands of revolution, and her Warren lay down his life on Bunker 
Hill. Her historians, Bancroft, Prescott, Parker and Fiske, have 
not told the story of human liberty for Massachusetts alone, but 
for all men. Her Longfellow, Holmes, Lowell and Whittier have 
breathed forth songs, not for Massachusetts only, but songs that 
shall refresh and inspire generations of men as yet unborn and in 
all lands. 

From the days of Franklin even to the present, she has sent 
forth her sons and daughters for the settling and building of all 
that is west of her, and the descendants of her sons and daughters 
are to be numbered by hundreds of thousands and to be found in 
every state. 

Only this morning we read in the papers of the death of Marsh- 
all Field of Chicago, the wealthiest and most princely of American 
merchants, and the man, who, measured by his achievements in 
trade, has had the greatest success of any that has lived in modern 
times, and yet a man of kind heart, of strict integrity, and of hu- 
mane characteristics. He too illustrates the fact that Massachus- 
etts has not lived for herself alone, for he was born on Massachus- 
etts soil, and he received his early training here. So the wealth of 
Massachusetts, accumulated by her thrift and industry, has not 
been used selfishly, but for the construction of railroads across the 
continent, for the laying of the Atlantic cable, for the building of 
great public works, and the development of resources hidden in 



48 The Benjamin Frnnklin Celebration 

the earth. To her Universities, established by the sacrifices of her 
people, have come not only her own sons but those of the nation, 
and from them they have gone forth to make discoveries for the 
benefit of mankind in every field of human endeavor. Herself 
prosperous, she has heard the cry of struggling men ; she has de- 
manded the emancipation of the slave ; she has sent her benefac- 
tions to the suffering beyond the seas. Her Franklin grasped the 
lightning and her sons have made it the winged messenger, travel- 
ling with the speed of light and bringing the entire world into one 
compact community and brotherhood. She has erected her works, 
planted her men, and marshalled her thoughts, and vindicated her 
ideas throughout the world. But Boston, or that larger Boston 
that we call Massachusetts, is not content so long as there are still 
fields of endeavor unexplored, so long as there are possibilities of 
commerce, opportunities of trade, or chances for usefulness not 
availed of ; not content so long as crime fills her prisons or misfor- 
tune and untoward conditions fill her insane asylums ; not content 
so long as problems of government remain to be solved ; not con- 
tent so long as barriers divide her people into classes ; not content 
so long as wrongs remain unavenged, whether in Massachusetts or 
in Russia or in Turkey ; not content so long as a single worker is 
denied a living wage, or the healthful surroundings and home that 
make possible the enjoyment of life. Whatever may have been the 
glory of the past, there can never come the time when the Boston, 
the New England idea, the spirit of Yankee enterprise, of dissatis- 
faction with things that are wrong, and of perseverance in forward- 
ing the right, will not be needed in this expanding world, and so 
long as this spirit animates our people, it may be said of them as it 
was said, by the French poet, of F'ranklin, "All mankind owe you 
a debt of gratitude." 






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Bv the Town oi Franklin, Mass. 49 

Introduction of Prof. Arthur W. Peirce. 



Our Town of Franklin is unique in one respect, that from its 
namesake it has something that is tangible, Benjamin Franklin 
having presented as evidence of his regard and esteem for the town 
about to be named for him a collection of books. Those books 
have become incorporated into and have become a part of that por- 
tion of Franklin which is dear to it as a memorial to one of its 
eminent citizens and his beloved wife ; a Public Library, with 
architecture pleasing and interior decoration restful and appropri- 
ate. It will abide for all time. Another friend of Franklin, Oliver 
Dean, one of its merchants, from the beneficence of his heart en- 
dowed an institution of learning which has become known, not only 
throughout the length and breadth of this Commonwealth, but 
throughout our nation. It is therefore extremely appropriate and 
fitting that he who will speak to us upon Franklin and Franklin 
Library is one whom we are pleased to know as one of our fellow 
citizens, honored in the educational life, esteemed for his breadth 
of learning, and officially connected with the Franklin Library. I 
have the pleasure of introducing to you Professor Arthur W. Peirce, 
Principal of Dean Academy, who will address us upon the subject 
of "Franklin and the Franklin Library." 



ADDRESS OF PROF ARTHUR W. PEIRCE, 

Principal of Dean fUcademy. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 

Fortunate is the town whose history and tradition leads back 
to some memorable event or some eminent man. Lexington, Con- 
cord, Plymouth have a priceless heritage in their historic past; a 
heritage that not only adds lustre to these names, but inspires a 



50 The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

high degree of civic pride in their citizens. History has given 
them a name and place that sets them in a class apart from other 
municipalities. Poor, indeed, would be the citizens of these towns 
if they did not take just pride in their houored past, and be filled 
with a keen desire to make the present and the future worthy of 
what has been. 

In this respect our own fair town is specially fortunate. Like 
Paul, we are citizens of no mean cit}'. While our soil has never 
been the scene of any great battle, it has much that links it closely 
with history and great men. Over our fields and hills roamed 
King Philip and his Indian warriors, leaving us for our lakes the 
names of Uncas, Wollomonopoag, and King Philip. The lustre of 
the name of Horace Mann, the first of American educators, is shed 
upon this, the town of his birth. But most prized of all historic 
associations are these ties that connect us with the great Ameri- 
can commoner, Benjamin Franklin. It were honor enough that 
this was the iirst of the thirty or more towns in the United States 
to recognize the greatness of the man and honor him by taking his 
name. Go where you will in these modern days, you find towns, 
counties, villages, squares, and streets named for this great man. 
Even Paris has its Franklin street. We count ourselves fortunate 
in being the iirst to recognize his abounding greatness and to honor 
ourselves and him by taking his name. 

But even this honor is a slight thing when compared to the one 
great fact of our town history, that Benjamin Franklin gave us the 
books to found our library. In the year 1785, full of years and 
honor, the admired of the French court, our first great diplomat 
and statesman, the most famous scientific man of his day, he found 
it a pleasure and a high duty to send this "little communit)- of in- 
telligent and respectable farmers" a collection of books, large for 
those days and generous for a man of his means. With the charac- 
teristic Franklin point of view, he substitutes this gift for the de- 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 51 

sired "meeting house bell," preferring "sense to sound" as he says 
in his famous letter. Dr. Emmons, in his sermon on receipt of the 
books speaks of the gift as "a mark of respect of the first literary 
character of America." 

Earlier private lending or subscription libraries had been 
founded in the colonies — Franklin himself was the founder of the 
first in Philadelphia — a town in Connecticut had received a library 
of books from a gentleman in England ; but these all long since 
ceased to exist, but the claim can be fairly made for the Franklin 
Library that it was the first Free Town Library in America which 
is still in existence. Thirty years before these books were received, 
there seems to have been a Parish Library, one of the earliest in the 
colonies, in connection with the church of this precinct of the 
Town of Wrentham, but from the receipt of the books of 
Dr. Franklin, the town, in Town Meeting assembled, voted that 
the custodian. Dr. Emmons, pastor of the church, "be instructed 
to loan the books to the inhabitants at large of this town in accord- 
ance with the instructions of Dr. Franklin." If there are other 
libraries, now existent, of this same public character, that reach 
back to an earlier day, diligent search has failed to find the record. 
It is worthy of note, too, that this library is called the Franklin 
library, not because it constitutes the Public Library of the Town 
of Franklin but by vote of the town the original books were con- 
stituted the Franklin Library in honor of the donor. 

The full history of the Franklin Library has never been writ- 
ten. Interesting as the story is, it would be too long for this time 
and place, and I must beg the privilege accorded to our legislators 
and ask leave "to report in print," that the time this evening may 
be given to the consideration of the eminent man himself, whose 
birthday we celebrate. 

This occasion, however, should not pass without a due recog- 
nition of the memorable gift of Franklin to this town ; a gift price- 



52 The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

less in its historic suggestions and one that makes our librarj' 
unique among the great multitude of Public Libraries, which are 
at once the pride and glory of our people. That these precious 
books should ever have found poor shelter in the loft of a barn 
seems incredible. The Boston correspondent of the New York 
Evening Post in December 1887 reproaches the Town of Franklin 
severely for letting pass without fitting celebration the hundredth 
anniversary of the receipt of these priceless books. We make tardy 
but complete atonement for the remissness of other days by the 
beautiful housing now given to these time worn volumes and in 
this, our celebratioil of the two hundredth anniversary of the birth 
of our benefactor, we record our belief that nothing in the Town of 
Franklin is more precious or more significant than these ancient 
volumes, the chief gem of our beautiful library, that link us indis- 
solubly to the name and fame of one of the greatest of the sons of 
America. 



By the Town of Franklin, Alass. 53 

THE BICENTENARY POEM, 

By Miss Maude Louise Ray. 



Upon a quiet Boston street, — 

Oh, some two centuries ago, — 

Humor and Science chanced to meet. 

(They both belonged to the elite 
Of town, you know). 

Benevolence they turned to greet 

As she came strolling through the snow 

With old Philosophy discreet, 

Who hardly seemed to feel the sleet — 
Or acted so: 

Religion, queer I y dressed, I hear. 

And trusty Commonsense were there, — 
When suddenly, from very near, 
A baby's laughter, sweet and clear. 

Rang on the air! 
"Let each," cried Humor "now and here, 

Some virtue of his own forswear 
And give this child; I'll offer cheer 
And charity thai will endear 

Him anywhere." 

"And I bestow the fear of God." 
"And I a spirit sane and free" 

"I'll give him patience, 'neath the rod," 

"The end of paths as yet untrod 
This child shall see." 

And so this fable, strange and odd, 
1 tell you as it came to me. 

"A prophecy indeed," you nod, 

"For famed at home and far abroad 
Today is he." 



54 T^he Benjamin Frnnklin Celebration 

It' years wc might eliminate 

And summon Franklin here tonight. 

No donbt we'd be obliged to wait 

Until he should investigate 
Th' electric light! 

Or possibly, if he were late, 

He'd send a wireless in liis plight: 

"Detained by officers of state, 

Because I failed to regulate 
My airship's flight." 

Perhaps the famous wit would rise, 

Whose spirits care could never down, 

And ere commenced his discourse wise, 

Would say, with half a compromise 
'Twixt smile and frown, 

"With your kind wish I sympathise 
To add a bit to my renown 

And possibly," with twinkling eyes, 

"To incidentally advertise 
Your little town." 

Our reverence and our respect 

For him must mingle with a smile. 

Such wordly wisdom we detect. 

Diplomacy with humor flecked 
And harmless guile; 

A knowledge broad and circumspect 
In practical affairs the while; 

A man of mighty intellect 

As Chesterfield himself correct 
In point of style. 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 55 

Would that the keen and ready wit 

Of him whose birth we celebrate, 

My every word might penetrate 
And make it Franklinesque and lit, 

And send it, quivering and bright, 

To find a lodging for the night 
In any brain it chanced to hit. 

Or for a single hour, alack. 

Might I pull on Poor Richard's shoes 
And through such magic footgear, choose 

To be transported centuries back, 
To Philadelphia, quite alive 
In seventeen hundred and thirty-five, 

I'd peddle you an almanac. 

What gems of "saving common-sense'' 

In Market street were then for sale I 

Our nation's head himself might quail 
Before such rules for diligence; 

And well may modern printers say. 

Conceding competition's sway, 
"At least, Ben. Franklin's safely hence!" 

Th' athletic and inventive youth 

Adventuring in his own soul ; 

The comrade gay of "flowing bowl," 
Whose jovial songs were famed, forsooth, 

As far as was his glowing zest 

In every scientific quest 
Or search for underlying trutli ; 

Beloved by Protestant and Priest 

Although Freethinker to the end ; 
The noblest in the land his friend, 



56 The Benjamin Fnmklin Celebration 

Yet by the humblest feared the least; 

In Old World courts his presence grew, 
As in the councils of the New, 

To mean a veritable feast. 

Would that his patriotism fine 
In many a politician's brain 
Might happily be born again 

And dross to purest gold refine : 

Might teach the worth of solid facts, 
Might stimulate to noble acts 

Unstained by low or base design. 

Since that far time when in the morn 
Of Freedom's day our land was born 

And from the loveless mother wrenched, 
Who thought to nurse her babe with scorn, 
To youth America has grown, 
Great signs of promise she has shown, 
And many a glorious deed she's done 
And many a prize her valor's won, 
Still shines her beauty iu the sun 
Of great prosperity. 

Yet all too easily forgot 

The stains that her fair record blot, 

The crimes defended in her name. 
That traitors and their hirelings plot — 
For such there are in every town 
Who strive to tear Old Glory down 
And desecrate each blood- bought fold 
With greed and lust and love of gold 
And shame on shame as yet untold. 
But 'twill be history. 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 57 

What would the patriot crew demand 
By whom our Ship of State was manned 

When demolition threatened her 
At England's mighty, unjust hand? 

Franklin I seem to hear declare 

With subtle wisdom grave and rare, 
That quite too high a price is shame 
To pay to win in any game. 
The lustre of a hard-earned fame 

Too soon may tarnished be. 

Serene, with courage unsurpassed, 
Through fiery trial Franklin passed, 

The great humanitarian, 
Serving his country to the last, 

Long past the three score years and ten 

That cooled the zeal of lesser men. 
By men like him the gems were set 
In Queen America's coronet, 
For truth and courage sparkling yet 
And dazzling purity. 

Generous of service, great or small, 
His wisdom, wealth, — he gave them all 

Does not the honour of his name 
Our town to high endeavor call ? 

A smaller boon the books we prize 

Than his example, great and wise 
By Nature's bounty beautified, 
A past to which we point with pride. 
May civic virtue long abide 
And true nobility. 



58 The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

FRANKLIN AS A MAN OF LETTERS. 



Address by Lcoq H' Vincent. 



Mr. Leou H. Viuceut gave au address on "Franklin as a Man 
of Letters." After describing the conditions of Franklin's early 
life, his work as a printer, journalist, and man of science, the 
speaker told the anecdote of Priestley's reproaching Franklin for 
his hostility to Christianity. The philosopher replied that he had 
never given much time to the question of the evidences of Christi- 
anity, and asked Priestley to recommend some books on the sub- 
ject but begged that he would not recommend any very long books. 

The speaker then went on to ?ay : 

It may be that Franklin's dislike of long books on religion was 
only a phase of a dislike for long books on any topic. He thought it 
was impossible to say what one had to say in less time than is usual- 
ly taken. His own writings are very brief, the longest of them, the 
Autobiography, contains only three hundred pages. 

But there is little virtue in being brief vinless you are also point- 
ed. And Franklin was certainly that. Franklin was a master of the 
art of condensed witty expression. And he had a gift for homely 
proverb and wise saw. It was he who said : "The proof of gold is 
fire ; the proof of a woman, gold ; the proof of a man, a woman." It 
was he who said: "Drink water; jnit money in your pocket and 
leave the dry belly-ache in the punch-bowl." The truth is not a new 
one in this next proverb, but the putting of it is very new : "He is 
no clown that drives the plow, but he that does clownish things.'' 
He solved the intricate question of hired help a hundred and fifty 
years ago : "Let the maid-servant be faithful, strong, and homely." 
He also remarked that "three may keep a secret if two of them are 



By the Town oi Franklin, Mass. 59 

dead." He said : "Those have a short Lent who owe money to be 
paid at Easter." His observation was a wise one that "creditors 
have better memories than debtors;" "creditors," he says, "are a 
superstitious sect, great observers of set days and times." It was 
Poor Richard who said, "If you would know the vahie of money go 
and try to borrow some. " And even if you were able to borrow it 
was a questionable good, nay, altogether an evil, for "who goes a- 
borrowing goes a-sorrowing." It was Franklin who set the limits of 
hospitality when he said "Fish and visitors smell in three days." 

This was the sort of things that made Franklin famous in that 
early day. These sayings were passed from lip to lip, copied from 
one newspaper into another newspaper. People took a pleasure in 
their pith and sense, and watched eagerly for their appearance. 

Franklin's writings may be divided into four classes. I do not, 
however, include his purely scientific writings in this analysis. They 
form a division by themselves. 

I. Proverb.? and Maxims. 
II. Philosophical Tales and Satires. 

III. Political Satires. 

IV. The Autobiography. 

No one will deny that Franklin's greatest gift to American liter- 
ature is his Autobiography. We could part with almost anything 
rather than that. It is a masterpiece, one of the few which America 
has produced. The Autobiography belongs to the close of his literary 
life. It exhibits his urbane, placid, inimitable style at its best. All 
the results of a lifetime of practice with the pen are manifest in this 
simple narrative, written with a consummate art which conceals every 
trace of the work-shop. So far as style is concerned a man ought to 
write better the older he grows. Franklin certainly wrote better as 
he advanced in years, and the Autobiography is the very flower of 
his work, which, by the way, is not all flowers, but represented in 
spots by weeds and thistles, and some of these weeds altogether mal- 
odorous. 



^o The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

Take the first division, Proverbs and Maxims. Most of these 
appeared in the famous ahnanac known as Poor Richard. The first 
issue was for the year 1733. It was published towards the close of 
the preceding year and quickly went through three editions. So far 
as the tables of lunations, tides, and eclipses were concerned Poor 
Richard was much like other almanacs. But for ingenuity and wit 
it was (with one exception) the best almanac the colonies had yet 
seen. 

Writing under the name of Richard Saunders, Franklin attracted 
public notice by jesting at the expense of his fellow almanac-maker, 
Mr. Titan Leeds. He may have got the idea from Dean Swift. 
Twenty-five years earlier Swift had published a series of mock pre- 
dictions for the year 1708, in which he announced that John Part- 
ridge, the notorious astrologer and almanac-maker, would infallibly 
die on the 29th of March next, at eleven o'clock at night, of a raging 
fever. As soon as the time rolled round Swift came out with another 
pamphlet in which he declared that in accordance with his prediction 
Partridge was now dead. It was of no use for the angry astrologer 
to protest that he wasn't dead, the whole town insisted that he was, 
and that he ought to keep quiet. It is said that the parish bell rung 
for him, undertakers came to measure him, hired mourners beset 
the door. 

So Franklin, speaking as Richard Saunders, says that his rea- 
sons for making an almanac are first, that he wants money, and in 
the next place his "good friend and fellow-student, Mr. Titan Leeds" 
is going to die soon and won't be able to make any more almanacs. 
Naturally Leeds protested that he had no intention of dying, that 
Richard Saunders was a false prophet, a liar, and a number of other 
disagreeable things. The public was delighted with the contest, for 
having once stirred up his adversary, Franklin saw to it that he was 
kept stirred up. 

The prefaces of the successive almanacs are genuinely anmsing 
and Richard and his wife, Bridget, are real characters. Bridget some- 



^y the Town of Franklin, Mass. 6i 

times took advantage of her husband's absence to look over his man- 
uscript and when she found a great deal of weather in next year's 
predictions she would cut it all out and put in "fine weather for 
housewives to dry their clothes in." 

The strength of the almanac lay in the proverbs, such as "Dili- 
gence is the mother of good luck," "Wealth is not his that has it, but 
his that enjoys it," "Don't throw stones at your neighbors if your 
own windows are glass," "He that can have patience can have what 
he will." 

"Other maxims of Poor Richard's are wittier in thought or in 
phrasing: "Beware of the young doctor and the old barber," "Men 
and melons are hard to know," "If your head is wax don't walk in 
the sun," "He that lieth down with dogs shall rise up with fleas." 

Franklin was one of the first in America to introduce the practice 
of sarcastic and humorous comment on other cities and localities than 
that in which the journalist lives. We are acquainted with it in the 
various forms it takes in our illustrated journals and comic para- 
graphs. New York makes fun of Chicago, Chicago of St. Louis, the 
East generally of the West, the West of the Far West. In "Life" 
the other day was a little sketch representing Gabriel blowing his 
trumpet and a great procession of earth's inhabitants marching up- 
ward in answer to the call. Two New Yorkers are walking side by 
side and lamenting each to the other that their friend Smith is over 
in Philadelphia on business and won't hear of it for two or three 
days. FrrLnklin says in the Poor /Richard for 1738: "Ships sailing 
down the Delaware Bay in Augiist shall hear at ten leagues a con- 
fused rattling noise like a swarm of hail on a cake of ice. Don't be 
frightened, good passengers, the sailors can inform you that 'tis noth- 
ing but lower County teeth in the ague. In a southerly wind you 
may hear it at Philadelphia." In the breadth and audacity of the 
conception we see that American quality of humor. This is one 
phase of the American joke — the great American joke — and Frank- 
lin was perhaps the first to set the example for other paragraphers, 



62 The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

If the proverb by itself has a certain force, what shall we say of 
proverbs by the score. It is the difference between a single shot and 
a volley. A case in point is "Father Abraham's Address," sometimes 
called "The Way to Wealth," published in Poor Richard for 1758. 
All things considered, "The Way to Wealth" has been the most pop- 
ular of Franklin's many popular pieces. There were ten thousand 
copies in that particular edition of the Almanac. The newspapers 
published it over and over again. In 1760 Franklin himself reprint- 
ed it as a broadside, that is, a great sheet like a newspaper. It was 
published in Boston as a pamphlet with a folding plate showing 
Father Abraham in his study. It was republished in New Haven, 
New London and Philadelphia. It was translated in French and 
large editions of it distributed gratuitously among the poor people by 
the priests and the nobles. It has appeared in German, Spanish, It- 
alian, Russian, Dutch, Bohemian, Modern Greek, Gaelic and Portu- 
guese. What a marvellous adaptability to the human mind is evinced 
in this little piece where the art is so unobtrusive that it seems as if 
any one might have written it. 

The second division of Franklin's writings consists of Tales, Par- 
odies and Satires, little sketches varying in length from a page and 
a half to five or six pages, inimitable in manner, and of a charm as 
elusive as it is delightful. Among the best of these are "The Ephe- 
mera," "The Whistle," "The Craven-Street Gazette," "The Petition 
of the Letter Z," "Franklin and the Gout," "The Morals of Chess," 
"The Handsome and Deformed Leg," the letter "To Madame Hel- 
vetius," the very amusing papers on the "Custom of Whitewashing 
in America," and the no less entertaining address to the Parisians 
called "An Economical Project." 

The third division of Franklin's writings consists of Political 
Satires and other papers. He applies the same method to questions 
of politics that he had applied to questions of morality, education and 
everyday life. Every page of this writing is stamped with the seal 




OOURTESY OF 



Berkjamirk FrarkKlirk 

l'"roiu a bust in marble in tlic Hoston I'ublic I.ibrarv 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 63 

of his amazing slirewdness and wit. The political papers cover a 
wide period of time if we comit from "Plain Truth" (published in 
1844) to the "Comparison between the Ancient Jews and the Ameri- 
can Federalists." 

Two of his pamphlets at least I want you to remember by name : 
first, "Rules for Reducing a Great Empire to a Small One ;" second, 
"An Edict by the King of Prussia." He also satirized English ignor- 
ance of America in a letter in a newspaper signed "Traveller." It 
was in this letter that he told the wonderful story about American 
sheep whose very tails are so laden with wool that each has a little 
car or wagon on four little wheels to support and keep the tail from 
trailing on the ground. He also described cod and whale fish- 
ing in Lake Ontario. Franklin explained to his English readers 
that a whale was so fond of codfish that he would follow them any- 
where. The cod being small could go where they liked, and the 
whales would be always at their heels. The cod come up the St. 
Lawrence into Ontario and so on to Niagara, closely pursued by their 
enemies. Vv/^lien they arrive at the great cataract the cod jump up 
and the whales jump after them. Says P'ranklin in his grave narra- 
tive (and you can almost see the benevolent gleam of his huge glass- 
es) — says Franklin : "The grand leap of a whale up the Falls of Ni- 
agara is estimated, by all who have seen it, one of the finest specta- 
cles in Nature." 

And thus it is that both these kinds of fish arrive iu Lake Erie, 
and it is possible to enjoy saltwater fishingwithovitgoingtotheocean. 
We shall not for a moment assiuue that everybody who read these 
monstrous statements believed them. But there were some who did. 
And of them a piuister sagely remarks that in describing the fish 
Franklin was making suckers of the people. 

What we ought chiefly to note in these pieces is the new quality 
unknown in European humor. Franklin was the first of the Ameri- 
can humorists. He was the forerunner of the Mark Tv/ains, the Art- 



64 The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

cnias Wards, the Bill Nyes. He first taught the new world tricks of 
homely exaggeration for purposes of laughter and satire. Other 
humorists had known the virtues of overgrown statement, but Frank- 
lin was the first to make the vastness of the country a basis for im- 
position upon the credulity of foreigners. The manner remains with 
us to this day. It is one of the earmarks of that which he call Ameri- 
can humor. 

I would not make too close a comparison between Dean Swift and 
Benjamin Franklin ; but there was one marked likeness. With each 
of them literature was not an end in itself but a means to an end. 
They wrote because they had something to say. Neither cared much 
whether any fame was attached to the performance or not. Swift 
never put his name to his book. Franklin published many things 
anonymously and often forgot what he had written. I^ord Kames 
wanted to get copies of his writings and Franklin was only able to 
send him two or three little things, and was at a loss to say whether 
his other books were to be had or not. This is the absolute negation 
of literary egoism. I suppose that Franklin never in his life wrote a 
line for notoriety's sake. He always looked beyond the essay or the 
book to that object for which essay and book had been composed. If 
he accomplished his object the whole thing dropped away from his 
consciousness and another took its place. 

The object of this study is to eulogize Franklin the Man of Let- 
ters. But while we praise him for his skill in the literary art we 
nuist not forget his services to politics, to science, and above all, to 
that great cai:se of promoting the public and private weal. He en- 
joyed a varied, a fruitful and a pro.'^perous career. Few men would 
dare to say what Franklin said in his old age: "That if the offer 
were made him he would have no objection to living his life over 
again." He did not mean that he was perfectly satisfied with it. He 
thought he would like the privilege which authors enjoy correcting 
in a second edition the mistakes of the first. If that were denied 
him he would accept life on the former terms. 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 65 

His comprehensive and practical intelligence brought him in 
touch with affairs and men of all sorts and of all conditions. He 
conducted the first American newspaper worthy of the name, the 
great editors who came after him, the Greeleys, the Bryants and the 
Danas, merely applied Franklin's method to the more complex needs 
of their own time. 

The art of keeping a store is more intricate than most people 
know. Franklin taught this art to perfection. The merchant princ- 
es of today whether they know it or not are immensely indebted to 
Franklin. He laid down the theory and practiced his theory to prove 
its soundness. They follow in his footsteps. 

He was one of the first of that splendid type of American citizen 
whom we call public-spirited — men who honestly desire to better the 
condition of their fellows who have no thought of personal advant- 
age in their reforms. Nothing escaped Franklin's notice. Some 
men know how the affairs of the state should be conducted but are 
helpless when it is a question of paving a street or teaching a lamp 
how not to smoke. Franklin was good at either. He was interest- 
ed alike in libraries and fire companies, in sewerage and drainage 
and in political philosophy. 

He was the father of modern electrical science. He raised a 
kite during a thunder storm and drew electricity from it to charge 
a Leyden jar, thus proving the identity of lightning and common 
frictional electricity. The Edisons and Marconis of our day know 
a thousand times more than Franklin ever dreamed. Nevertheless 
Franklin was the pioneer. He showed the way and made it possi- 
ble for modern men of science to do what they have done. 

The statue of Franklin in front of the University of Pennsylvania 
commemorates the great experiment and represents the philoso- 
pher in the act of drawing lightning from the clouds. In a few 
seconds he had laid the foundations of a new science. We ought 
to admire the physical courage, the sheer audacity of the man. 



66 The Benjamin Franklin Celebration 

How did he know that he wouldn't be struck dead as the thunder 
cloud passed over his kite ? The incident was spectacular and of 
itself might have made him immortal ; but it is only a single inci- 
dent in his marvellous career. 

He was a friend of man, a humanist in the best sense of the 
word. Therefore he hated war, and all the murderous pomp and 
circumstance thereof. He thought that fighting was the most bar- 
barous and idiotic way of settling a dispute that could be conceived. 
He once told his friend Priestley that with all our improvements in 
physical science, it was a pity we could not make some improve- 
ments in moral science, and learn how to settle our quarrels with- 
out first cutting another's throat. He even went so far as to say 
that he doubted whether there had ever been in the history of the 
world a just war or an unjust peace. 

It is worth our while to remember that both Voltaire and 
Franklin held this opinion with respect to war, the two men who 
are accounted arch enemies of Christianity were more civilized than 
many nominal Christians in this particiilar. Franklin opposed the 
war of the Revolution until it resolved itself into a case of self-de- 
fense. He believed that a man had a right to protect his family, 
his property and himself. And he labored earnestly for peace 
when he thought there was a possibility of bringing it about. 

With the work of Benjamin Franklin we see how American 
literature made not merely a distinct but a great step forward. 
Here are all the qualities which help to differentiate our literary 
product from that of the mother country. Moreover Franklin's 
Autobiography has that mark of sophistication which is always a 
test or proof of the existence of literature. For literature is an art, 
and art is always self-conscious ; and if it is not self-conscious the 
less honor to him who produces the art. A man may not know 
how magnificently he is writing but he must at least know that he 
is writing. Milton speaks of Shakespeare "warbling his native 



By the Town of Franklin, Mass. 67 

wood-notes wild," but Milton did not mean that Shakespeare was 
a kind of literary Blind Tom who did not know what he was about. 
With all his spontaneity Shakespeare was a consummate artist. 

In this self-consciousness of Franklin's Autobiography we see 
the beginnings of that which was later to produce the sketch-book 
of Irving, the Tales of Edgar Poe, Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter," 
the essays of Emerson and the poems of Longfellow, Whittier and 
Lowell. With Franklin a new literature which we call American 
began actually to exist. 



The exercises closed with the audience all joining in "America," 
William S. Johnson presiding at the piano, thus ending one of the 
most successful and representative celebrations ever held in the 
town of Franklin. 




OBATB OF FRANKLIN, PHIXiADEIiPHIA. 



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